They buff floors, scrub toilets and tidy up classrooms-and, this July, approximately 100 of Saint Louis University’s custodians will receive a pay raise. The fulfillment of what University administrators say is a commitment to social justice, the wage hike will guarantee that all full-time SLU employees will earn at least $20,000 per year.
Custodians who work in SLU’s administrative and academic buildings will earn a starting hourly wage of $9.62, up from the current rate of $9.18 per hour. Workers already earning more on the graduated pay scale will also receive raises.
In the mid-1990s, SLU President Lawrence Biondi, S.J., decided to increase all full-time University employees’ wages to a “livable and fair” $20,000 per year. After investing several million dollars, Biondi was able to reach his goal. SLU’s custodians, however, were employed by an outside contractor and continued to earn as little $5.75 per hour.
In 2002, SLU decided to end its contract agreement and to employ its custodians directly. Administrators immediately gave the custodians a $1-per-hour raise and offered them health insurance, tuition remission and other benefits. They also began an effort to gradually increase the custodians’ yearly pay to the University minimum of $20,000; this year’s raise will be the culmination of that process.
Sheila Amlette, a custodian at the School of Law with nine years of experience at SLU, said that working conditions improved markedly after the University began to employ her directly. According to Amlette, the contractor that she previously worked for did not allow breaks and did not provide any benefits.
Amlette said that she was “happy” with the latest pay raise and wants further progress for SLU’s custodians.
“I hope they keep increasing our pay. I feel that if you’re getting better pay, it makes you feel like you’re getting what you should for your work . I just pray and hope that things will keep getting better,” Amlette said.
According to SLU economics professor Jack Strauss, Ph.D., custodians in the St. Louis area earned an average hourly wage of $10 in 2005, the last year for which accurate statistics are available. In comparison, the average blue-collar worker in St. Louis took in $20.60 per hour, and the median hourly wage for white-collar jobs was $22.70.
At $9.62 per hour, the starting wage for custodians at SLU will be 38 cents below the city average for the occupation; however, workers with more experience at SLU and a higher place on the graduated pay scale will earn more.
While the new raise will boost wages for SLU’s custodians, it may still leave some in an economically precarious position. An individual earning a pre-tax income of $20,000 per year would be classified well above the federal government’s definition of poverty; a custodian trying to support a family of four alone on the same income, however, would fall below the national poverty line.
Kenny Smith, a custodian who has worked at SLU for four years, said that he was pleased with the raise and largely satisfied with the custodians’ position at the University.
“[SLU] is a great place to work. We get gorgeous benefits-medical and dental-and most holidays off. Our overseers show gratitude for the work we do. With the money and benefits we get, it evens out,” Smith said.
Kathy Hagedorn, vice president for human resources, said that SLU’s commitment to providing benefits and a living wage to all its employees reflects the University’s values.
“Our mission at Saint Louis University is education for the whole person. In the same way, we want our employees to know that we value them as whole people as well,” Hagedorn said.
